Newton's Law of Cooling States That the Rate of Change

question 48

Short Answer

Newton's Law of Cooling states that the rate of change of temperature of an object is proportional to the difference between the temperature of the object and the temperature of the surrounding air. A detective discovers a corpse in an abandoned building, and finds its temperature to be 24°C. An hour later its temperature is 16°C. Assume that the air temperature is 8°C, that normal body temperature is 37°C, and that Newton's Law of Cooling applies to the corpse. How many hours has the corpse been dead at the moment it is discovered? Round to 2 decimal places.

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Definitions:

Egocentrism

A cognitive bias where an individual is unable to differentiate between their own perspective and that of others.

Theory Of Mind

The ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, covering the period from birth to about 2 years of age, where infants learn through interacting with their environment.

Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his pioneering work in the study of child development and his theory of cognitive development which outlines how children progress through various stages of intellectual growth.